Cerrone emerged victorious from the lightweight clash at Denver’s
Pepsi Center, but the win did not come easily, even after Cerrone
found himself in the driver’s seat by flooring Guillard with a
vicious right.

Guillard -- who trained with Cerrone at Jackson’s MMA in
Albuquerque, N.M., before relocating to Florida and joining the
Blackzilians -- fell face first to the mat, primed to receive one
last haymaker from his former sparring partner. The blow did not
come. Instead, Cerrone began to position himself for a rear-naked
choke before the bout was waved off by referee Josh Rosenthal.

“[Before the fight], a lot of people were asking me, ‘Will it be
hard to finish a teammate?’ And I would say, ‘No,’” Cerrone said at
the post-fight press conference. “[But when I was] actually there
with that finishing blow, it was very hard. So instead, I went for
the choke.”

Though Cerrone’s flourish to finish the fight was an impressive
one, it appeared early that it would actually be Guillard’s night.
Cerrone came out aggressively and paid for it, as Guillard dropped
him with a hard counter left hook and immediately pursued the
knockout, launching an extended flurry of strikes as Cerrone did
his best to circle away and recover.

“I was extremely hurt, especially from the knee to the body,” said
Cerrone. It took everything in me to just fight through it and keep
going. That was probably the worst I’ve ever been injured in a
fight. All I could think of was just sucking it up and keeping my
composure [so I could] keep going.”

His wits only partially regained, Cerrone dramatically turned the
tide of the bout by launching a whipping lead-leg high kick that
buzzed Guillard’s skull put him on wobbly legs. The previously
described right hand would follow just moments later.

“Frankly, I thought I just grazed the top of him. I didn’t realize
I connected as well as I did. Thankfully, I did, and I was able to
follow with the right hand. In training, that’s what I was working
on. He drops his hands and fades off that way a lot,” said Cerrone.
“He came out very explosive and very aggressive, just like I
thought he would. I came in too amped up. I’ve got to work on that.
He came out and hit me hard, just like I figured he would.”

A Colorado native, Cerrone says that his haste in trying to take
the fight to Guillard was due in part to his excitement over
fighting in front of a hometown crowd.

“The feeling was unbelievable. I’ve fought here a number of times,
and this was the most energy I’ve ever felt,” said Cerrone. “I
wanted to just stop and [look around] and do a full circle. It was
incredible.”

Another victory now listed among his 19 career wins, Cerrone can
look toward his next challenge. “Cowboy” previously named Anthony
Pettis as the lightweight he would next like to face. When
asked if that attitude still holds true, Cerrone did not mince
words.